There are two principal UN sponsored conventions that deal with freshwater: the UN Conventions of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses (1997); and the UN Economic Commission for Europe, Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (1992).
The UK has not signed, ratified or acceded to the UN Convention on the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses Convention and has no current plans to do so. To date, 16 countries have signed this convention (out of 35 required for it to enter into force) and there are 15 parties to the convention. DFID is currently working with WWF-UK to review the international architecture that supports water resources management, including the potential role for the convention.
The UK is a signatory to the UN Economic Commission for Europe, Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, 1992, but has not ratified it. Ratification would be led by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
Other key conventions that make specific reference to water include the UN Convention to Combat Desertification in Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa (UNCCD). The UK signed the UNCCD in 1994 and ratified in 1996.